The military now has new, stricter rules for how it deals with sexual assault.

Congress passed sweeping changes to military protocol late Thursday as part of a budget deal. The compromise marks the end of a long debate in the Senate about how to best confront the growing problem of sexual assaults in the military.

“The changes would be a victory for the estimated tens of thousands of troops who have been sexually abused in recent years, as well as a triumph for the growing number of women serving in Congress, who pushed for reform,” The Washington Post reports.

Here’s what you need to know about the new legislation:

It would end the statute of limitations for cases of sexual assault or rape: This will prevent commanders from dragging out the process to avoid an investigation.

Military commanders can’t overturn jury convictions: In June, an Air Force general stirred advocates’ outrage when he overturned a sexual-assault conviction of a star fighter pilot.This rule prohibits something like that from happening again.

It’s now a crime to retaliate against people who report sexual assault cases: About 26,000 troops faced sexual assault or rape last year, but only about 3,300 reported them, the Pentagon estimates. Congress hopes more troops will report cases with this law.

Anyone convicted of sexual assault or rape must be dishonorably discharged from the military: This changes rules that in some cases allowed members of the military to stay.

Civilian defense officials have more control over prosecutions than military officials: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., championed a proposal to set up independent prosecution teams to investigate sexual assault claims instead of military commanders. What Congress passed doesn’t go as far as she and other advocates wanted, but supporters say it helps with accountability.

Sexual assaults in the military are likely to stay in the news this coming year as the changes get implemented. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a supporter of the bill, told The Washington Post once the changes are implemented, “we will have the most victim-friendly criminal justice system in the world.”

As other reforms to the military show, changes can take years to come to fruition. Congress also lifted Thursday a ban in the military on sodomy, three years after Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.